Life with My Chatty Cockatiels

Here is my story with the pet birds.

My husband and I do not have children, but we have two male cockatiels who have been with us for seven years now.  One is a Lutino named Cherry-chan, and the other, a normal grey, is called Pearl-chan.


Whenever my cockatiels sense that I’m nearby, they immediately start demanding to be let out of their cage.  Even if I tell them, "I just got home! Let me drink my coffee and relax for a moment," they completely ignore me and keep insisting.  Cherry goes, "Fii-fii!" while Pearl keeps chanting, "Key chan, Key chan!"  Apparently, they have decided that my name is "Key chan."   I have no choice but to accept it.  (Well, I suppose I should be honored!) Eventually, I give in and let them out.


I used to have a female cockatiel before.  She had the personality of a 20-year-old girl—very easy to handle.  Sadly, she passed away when she was eight years old, just two weeks before my 50th birthday.  I loved her as if she were my own child, so it was heartbreaking.


Cockatiels are said to live for about 15 to 20 years.  I have exchanged information with my human friends, and it seems that female cockatiels tend to have a shorter lifespan due to issues like egg binding.  That’s why I chose males this time.


Now, I have two cockatiels, and they’re like a pair of third-grade boys.  Occasionally, they let out an ear-splitting "Gyaaaah!" that sounds exactly like a dinosaur.   Sometimes, I wonder if I accidentally adopted a couple of Pokémon instead!


I hope you enjoyed reading my story.  This is getting long, so I will stop here for today. 


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